Lesson 144 – more on EMBELLISHING OPEN CHORDS with open string hammers and scale notes – 7:53min

In this lesson Marty dives more into the technique of embellishing open chords with hammeron and pull offs as well as adding scale notes to the mix. This is a killer technique that will add much spice and interest to your playing. Try it on both acoustic and electric. It sounds really nice especially on acoustic with all the open string manipulation that is possible. Rock on!

Lesson 143 Create cool sounds with chords you already know using HAMMERS & PULLS – 10:48 min

In this lesson we will teach you how to make cool sounding chords and embellishments using chords you have previously learned. You wont have to learn new chords to employ these techniques as we base off of basic open chords. This is a fun and easy way to really spice up your playing and create interest and melody – you will start hearing this all the time in songs now that you are tuned into what is going on and how to do it yourself. 

Lesson 142 Embellish open chords with easy licks and open strings – 7:23 min 

Acoustic Guitar lesson “hey peeps, Marty Schwartz here wanting to share some easy ways to get out of the “Campfire rut” by embellishing the chords you already know with some easy licks from a very easy scale. It will really get you out of the rut and spice things up!

Lesson 141 Songwriting lesson – CHORDS IN EACH KEY – MINOR KEY CHORD CHART

There are three different types of minor scales – Natural Minor or Aeolian mode, Melodic Minor, and Harmonic Minor. These scales sound different from major scales because they are based on a different pattern of intervals. To create a minor scale from harmonizing the natural minor scale start on the root note and go up the scale using the pattern: whole step, half step, whole step, whole step, half step, whole step, whole step.

The first chord will always be minor, the second chord will always be diminished, the third chord will always be major, the fourth chord will always be minor, the fifth chord will always be minor, the sixth chord will always be major, and the seventh chord will always be major. Due to the three different minor scales there are more choices of chords when writing music in minor key as compared to major key.

For discussional purposes and to keep things relatively simple the chart below illustrates the minor key chordal options when we compile the Natural Minor scale, (in black), with the ascending version of the Melodic Minor scale, (in red).

As illustrated you have many different chordal options when writing in minor key so experiment and let you ear guide you to the best sounding chords like you like the best and that fit the music you are creating. Remember that the chart below is just a guide and that any chord can appear in any key, the chords below are just much more likely to appear in each given key as they are made from combinations of notes in the given scale. Rock on!

Lesson 140 CHORDS in each MINOR key – songwriting lesson on MINOR KEY 15:32 minutes
This lesson will teach you theory behind what chords make up each MINOR key and why. The formulas now change as this lesson is focused on MINOR key. The past lessons you have may watched were all about MAJOR key songwriting. Here the formulas are different and sounds are darker, but this lesson will really open up some songwriting doors for you to walk through and explore. There are some formulas to follow that are absolutely critical to understand so you can apply them to the guitar and to your songwriting. This is a critical aspect of songwriting and will really help your understanding of chords and their relationships. In this module you will learn how to harmonize two types of MINOR SCALES and how to build the chords that are in each minor key. There is a reason why certain chords sound good together. A certain group of chords will always pretty much sound good together – they are the chords in that key that are all made from combinations of the minor scale notes in that key. Now any chord can appear in any key, but the group of chords that make up that key are much more likely to appear in that key than most other chords. We will also start putting some chords together and creating a song. Make sure to go to the written lessons section of the site and download the MINOR KEY CHORD CHART that coincides with this lesson.

THE CHART IS IN PDF FORMAT AND LOCATED IN THE WRITTEN LESSONS SECTION OF THE SITE – PLEASE PRINT OUT AND HAVE NEAR WHEN WATCHING THIS LESSON

Lesson 139 CHORDS in each major  KEY – SONG WRITING LESSON FOR MAJOR KEY – part 3 of 3 – 13:39 minutes

This lesson will teach you theory behind what chords make up each major key and why. There are some formulas to follow that are absolutely critical to understand so you can apply them to the guitar and to your songwriting. This is a critical aspect of songwriting and will really help your understanding of chords and their relationships. In this module you will learn how to harmonize the MAJOR scale and how to build the chords that are in each major key. There is a reason why certain chords sound good together. A certain group of chords will always pretty much sound good together – they are the chords in that key that are all made from combinations of the major scale notes in that key. Now any chord can appear in any key, but the group of chords that make up that key are much more likely to appear in that key than most other chords. We will also start putting some chords together and creating a song. This is part three of a three-part lesson. 

To fully understand this lesson you should have watched previously the lesson on “chord construction and major scale building” in the intermediate section. 

Lesson 138 CHORDS in each KEY – SONG WRITING LESSON FOR MAJOR KEY – part 2 of 3 – 13:13 minutes

This lesson will teach you theory behind what chords make up each major key and why. There are some formulas to follow that are absolutely critical to understand so you can apply them to the guitar and to your songwriting. This is a critical aspect of songwriting and will really help your understanding of chords and their relationships. In this module you will learn how to harmonize the MAJOR scale and how to build the chords that are in each major key. There is a reason why certain chords sound good together. A certain group of chords will always pretty much sound good together – they are the chords in that key that are all made from combinations of the major scale notes in that key. Now any chord can appear in any key, but the group of chords that make up that key are much more likely to appear in that key than most other chords. We will also start putting some chords together and creating a song. This is part two of a three-part lesson. 

To fully understand this lesson you should have watched previously the lesson on “chord construction and major scale building” in the intermediate section. 

Lesson 137 CHORDS in each KEY – SONG WRITING LESSON FOR MAJOR KEY – part 1 of 3 – 13:41 minutes

This lesson will teach you theory behind what chords make up each major key and why. There are some formulas to follow that are absolutely critical to understand so you can apply them to the guitar and to your songwriting. This is a critical aspect of songwriting and will really help your understanding of chords and their relationships. In this module you will learn how to harmonize the MAJOR scale and how to build the chords that are in each major key. There is a reason why certain chords sound good together. A certain group of chords will always pretty much sound good together – they are the chords in that key that are all made from combinations of the major scale notes in that key. Now any chord can appear in any key, but the group of chords that make up that key are much more likely to appear in that key than most other chords. We will also start putting some chords together and creating a song. This is part one of a three-part lesson. 

To fully understand this lesson you should have watched previously the lesson on “chord construction and major scale building” in the intermediate section master classes. 

Lesson 136 Rhythmic strumming with all DOWNSTROKES – 14:56 min

In this lesson David teached rhythmic strumming using all downstrokes. You dont necessarily have to use upstrokes to create rhythm. Here David goes over rhythmic principles and continues you on the road to playing solid rhythm and getting creative with rhythms, then embellishing and adding chucking and mixing up the strum. The possibilities are endless. Rock on!

 Lesson 135 What is a good BEGINNER ELECTRIC GUITAR – some guitar model choices – 9:02 minutes

This module discusses what is a good beginner electric guitar. David discusses what he feels is the big four things you want to look for when buying a guitar. He dives into the importance when buying guitars of playability, tone, craftsmanship, and ability to stay in tune. He also discusses price points and budget. He goes over the Fender Mexican made stratocaster verses the american made stratocaster. He also talks about guitar “starter packs” and what to look for when buying an instrument. He also talks about other brands and models you will want to consider when purchasing a beginner guitar. There are so many models and types out there it can be overwhelming – so we discuss how to go about making a well informed guitar purchase that you will be happy with and that will bring you a lifetime of joy.